The ancestral death anniversary of the Hung kings, otherwise known as the Hung Kings’ Temple Festival, has become one of the greatest national festivals in Viet Nam.  Every year, during the third lunar month, many Vietnamese head for Nghia Linh Mountain, Hy Cuong Commune, Lam Thao District, in Phu Tho Province in commemoration of the Hung kings.  Their dynasty was an impressive, brilliant and outstanding start to the establishment of Viet Nam as a sovereign nation.

The Hung Kings’ Temple Festival is held annually from the 8^th to 11^th day of the third lunar month.  The main festival day falls on the 10^th (9 April in 2014) when Vietnamese working people are given the right to have a day off.  Like other festivals in the northern part of Viet Nam, this festival is in two parts: the incense-offering ceremony and the recreational activities.

The former, an important part of the festival, is held at the Upper Temple to express the respect and gratitude of “dragon and fairy descendants” of the ancestors.  Sacrifices consist of many things such as a pig, a goat, a cow, Chung cake, Day cake and a lavish five-fruits feast.  After hearing the sound of an old bronze drum, the state representatives, followed by the elders and pilgrims, conduct the incense-offering rite.

The second part, the recreational activities, is held around the temples, offering a mixture of both traditional and modern activities.  However, the most outstanding are the processions, the xoan singing performance in the Upper Temple, and the ca tru singing in the Lower Temple.  Cross-bow shooting, rice cooking, swinging contests, cock fighting, and dragon dancing also attract much attention.

It can be safely concluded that in our nation's cultural heritage, the Hung Kings’ Temple Festival  has become a symbol of the strength of national unity, one connection between the past and the present with the "remember the source while drinking the water" ethics.